Yeah baby! We've come a long way from "Mother of Toilet Seat"!
Dazbootman-Pickguards stocks Abalone pickguards for those of us not ready to spring for the Abalone Strat featured previously. They have tons of pickguards for many different make and model guitars.
Besides a few one-off Masterbuilts we've seen, this is certainly one the most unique Strats I've ever featured. Discovered at Guitarz blog who featured it earlier.
This Abalone Custom Shop Strat is #1 of a 25 piece run, built in '95. The COA indicates a "Guitar & Amp Set", but an amp is not included, and there is no other mention of the amp. However, there are literally dozens of great photos in the listing, including full dissection disassembly pics.
The seller: mijsixstringskatana is a Tokyo based dealer with a large number of hi-end gear listings you should also browse thru. The Abalone Strat is listed with eBay globally, and the seller has plenty of no B.S. rules for bidding, as well as shipping info. for various parts of the world.
This is a very cool collector piece worth checking out!
Rare 1995 natural burst with gold hardware & Texas Specials
Hot couch potato! Who cares what happened to the remote?!!
Click images for close-ups.
Frankie B's First Fret Guitar Shop has some interesting inventory i.e. a 1953 Tweed Bassman, a '72 Oly White/maple Tele, some LP's, Ricks and other Strats besides our featured '95 Bonnie Raitt.
No longer made, Fender's Bonnie Raitt Strats came in blue burst and standard burst with gold hardware like the one above. This '95 is generally clean but has been played a lot. Gold plated hardware is notorious for easily wearing away, and this one is no exception. Otherwise, it comes with Texas Specials, pearly pickguard/trem cover and fat headstock with artist signature. Seller says saddles have been replaced, but that original saddles are stashed in the orig. case, included.
Anyone who's ever wondered about Steve's pickup configuration-- and how it all works can wonder no more.
But stay focused kids, cuz there might be a quiz afterwards!
While watching this video, the room started spinning, I chewed my pencil in half and proceeded to go totally blank until the recess bell rang. Later on, I had everything diagrammed out, but then my dog ate it. No surprise Steve Morse is also a jet pilot.
Here's an anonymous comment we just received regarding my admittedly quite long winded Vibrato Technique post written waaaay back in October 2008:
"Is it mandatory for Fender fans to confuse tremolo and vibrato for all times because ol' Leo confused that 50yrs ago? That being said, it was way too much confusing wordiness to grasp if you covered what's also known as the "Clapton vibrato" somewhere or if you just confused that and "squeeze vibrato". That also being said, why don't you just shut up and play yer guitar. :)(Gawd I hate all these stupid, real content obscuring blogs)"
Probably somebody I know...
Anyway, for the good of all, here's another crack at it. In the above video the trampoline represents your guitar strings-- or a guitar string. The girls are your fingers.
Isn't this more fun?!
The girls are only doing part of the work because the trampoline's rebounding capacity does a lotta the work too. Good flowing vibrato requires the string's tension rebounding against the push of your fingers. Allowing the string to push back with comparable force establishes an equilibrium potential, which if repeated creates vibrato; a series of tension release cycles-- sounds sexy huh! Many guitar players try to push and pull both ways without the assistance of the string tension potential, resulting in a halting, stammering, sucky vibrato.
If the girls were jumping on concrete or in sand, it wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. It still might be somewhat entertaining but that's beside the point.
Strings are like springs, so learn to work with them as springs using your elbow and/or knuckle joints as pivot points, just as the girls are using their ankle and knee joints. Try to observe that for a couple seconds ok.
Wasn't that entertaining? Learning can be fun!
Other analogies include dribbling a basketball or punching a speed bag where you balance effort against air pressure to create a controlled rebounding rhythmic cycle. Just not as fun as the trampoline thing unless you're making NBA or WBC $$$, in which case you could afford many trampolines with whatever goes good on top... But sometime, you'd still need to work out your vibrato technique, if that remained a priority in your life.
Now, to address an anonymous comment I didn't have to publish, much less talk about.
"Is it mandatory for Fender fans to confuse tremolo and vibrato for all times because ol' Leo confused that 50yrs ago?..."
No confusion here. But because Leo's choices of terminology still label gear functions and components, we kinda have to navigate with those terms. Bringing up their incorrectness for the sake of sounding intelligent or being semantically correct sometimes does more to perpetuate confusion. For example, a "Trem unit" is referred to as such even beyond the sphere of "Fender fans" or their "confusion". Wilkinson, Floyd Rose and Kahler make trem units, not vibrato units. They market their products as trem units. Fundamentally wrong or not, that's guitar-speak so deal with it.
"...That being said, it was way too much confusing wordiness to grasp if you covered what's also known as the "Clapton vibrato" somewhere or if you just confused that and 'squeeze vibrato'..."
"Wordiness" for sure. "Confusing" is relative. Terms like "Clapton vibrato" and "squeeze vibrato" although very concise, describe NOTHING of their technique & execution, unless there is prior understanding of how they're executed. So although these terms make YOU sound quite savvy, you haven't contributed anything of value to someone wanting to improve their vibrato technique. I actually covered several types of vibrato and tried to describe how to do them as best I could. Journalism majors who write well for guitar mags never seem to get into this subject.
"...That also being said, why don't you just shut up and play yer guitar. :)..."
Knowing the title of one Zappa album does not a resume' make. Rattle off twenty more without lookin' 'em up & maybe someone should give you a bag of Chips Ahoy cookies. Or do you prefer Keebler up in your tree house?
"...(Gawd I hate all these stupid, real content obscuring blogs)"
Then don't read them and make stupid content obscuring comments. You must certainly have better ways to occupy your time. Or better yet, start your own stupid content obscuring blog-- and sell t-shirts with the caption "Captain Clapton Squeeze Vibrato" underneath an image of your headless anonymous self playing your accordion.
Enjoy the video again & again!
Note: I'm willing to publish and credit constructive content anyone wishes to submit about methods of achieving vibrato technique. Your video tutorials can also be embedded here, even if they don't feature girls on trampolines.
NOTE: BEST OF... Originally featured Nov. 20, 08 as Friday Strat #102. The extra images are still available by clicking on the above pic.
This is a one off "Purpleburst" finish MIJ '57 RI produced in 1983 (JV ST57-115). Just click on the above image to see several good close up pics of this guitar. The Purpleburst is sold, but part of a very interesting & well photo documented archive at www.guitarsjapan.com , a Seattle based dealer specializing in a lot of early model MIJ & CIJ Fender guitars and some other cool lines too.
The newer "MB" version of Xotic's BB Pre-amp is all about MID BOOST control! And shouldn't every gain pedal have mid boost capability?
Xotic pedals are endorsed by Scott Henderson, Andy Timmons and Eric Johnson which may help you rank their worthwhileness in the vast sea of pedal makers.
In the video below, world renowned Gearmanndude- with a STRAT! - gives us a side by side comparison demo between the original Xotic BB and the new BB MB. Yeah, he's still got those boots!
Jeff Beck & Eric Johnson Strats both feature the contoured heel.
Here's a very classy player's reconfiguration combining a Fender USA Jeff Beck body with a Custom Shop '61 relic neck.
The Inca Silver finish looks nice with the choice of pickguard, trem cover, chrome pickup covers and chrome top hat knobs. And the well tinted Relic neck is full of birdseye.
The guitar comes with Texas Special pups, big frets, Strap locks, G&G tweed case, and weighs in at 7lb 1 oz.
Still, even more riffing off the February issue of PG article The Psychology of Tone which consults a real psychologist... or maybe a Sears psychologist in a real Mexican poncho, with authority to write prescriptions and a cockatiel wife who takes phone calls, in serious leather...
wow...
I know what you're thinking-- "What's the groove have to do with tone?" Well, if you were free in the pocket and always with the groove, your "tone" would probably be great.
As you ponder this, enjoy a little Keef with The Winos. Keef has great tone, but that wouldn't matter if he weren't such a groove monster.
Here's a research project for serious Marshall geeks, historians & experts on vintage Marshall gear!!!
We got ourselves a pretty high falutin' listing here from the eBay corral. If this cat is blowin' heap big smoke signals up our a$, somebody oughta sort it out! Time to send Tonto into town.
But if it's for real, we're talkin' quite a piece of gear evolution history-- has you got the moneys.
NYC based seller kvibe13 is 100% rated with a "Top-rated Seller" badge. Current Item ID# 250569673428
Listing Description Excerpt:
"...One of the first 100 watt Marshalls, an early prototype, housed in a JTM 45 cabinet that has the MAMELOKS MANCHESTER decal on the front lower left corner. On the chassis front panel it has MK II on the left, and JTM 45 on the right. On the chassis back it has MK III on the far left, "SUPER 100 AMPLIFIER" in the middle, and serial # 6983. The square metal patch on the back panel includes the specs what looks like "075 watts". The overall cosmetics are excellent. The tolex and gold piping is virtually unblemished, as is the front panel. Original brass hardware handle complete and working. This amp sat for many years unused...
...A SUPER 100 JTM 45? Are u kidding? I think its one of maybe a few in the world, and possibly the only one, in history, ever. I highly doubt anyone will ever see another, but if so please contact me. Another cool thing is you can see the ghost of another stencil underneath the SUPER 100, it said SUPER PA which is another rare Marshall, an 8 channel PA amp. This indicates it was a total Marshall shop retrofit job and points convincingly toward its groundbreaking historical significance. Im not going to make the jump and say this once belonged to Peter Townshend, but it certainly is a decent possibility. And its a good excuse to contact Pete!..."
He also name drops Harry Kolbe with regard to more recent work done.
The carved wood approach Stephen McSwain used to create this guitar for Vernon Reid is only one of many facets in his ever expanding art guitar portfolio. With the Retro & Relic guitar trends past their peak, we're seeing the rise of art guitar lines. Although rogue luthiers with unconventional creations are nothing new, the age of the functional art guitar is more of an up and coming occurrence.
Concept builders like Stephen McSwain are winning the game by building from iconic guitar platforms and shapes. Guitars that look like space aliens, insects or dragons have never really gained broad appeal. But natural wood Strats with pyramids, sand castles, flowing lines and hands are kinda groovy! So are Gibsony looking bodies with riveted metal panels and aircraft gauges. And when a musician has an idea for a custom look, McSwain can usually duplicate their concept as he has for several popular players.
The other cool thing about the art guitar age is that any independent builder can be more flexible than the big companies. It's really up to their basic luthier skills and how much imagination they're willing to demonstrate. Some builders collaborate with graphic artists & designers to create unique models. But again, starting from traditional guitar styling cues is wise if you want to help buyers make the transition from the strictly traditional models.
But NO mutant insect phlegm spewing guitars! Please!!!
Talk about maple syrup, you can almost pour the quilt top of this Suhr on waffles!!!
eBay Seller guitaraftermidnight is listing this '09 Limited Edition Modern Carve as a BIN. The guitar is new, and includes full Suhr warranty along with case, cert/order sheet and case candy. "Limited Edition" is displayed in the case emblem, 12th fret inlay and headstock back stamp. Click above image for features and specs on order sheet image.
SharkSound eBay store specializes almost exclusively in EHX pedals. They stock a ton, and their motto is "Quality Products. In Stock. Shipped Fast." And I believe it because they're 100% rated with over 1200 positive feedbacks and zero negatives.
The Nano Switchblade channel selector is just one of the current specials that comes with a free set of EHX strings and a Levy's guitar strap.
If you dig EHX gear, take a browse around SharkSound!
In nearly 4 years of guitar blogging and trading links with dozens of guitar blogs, I only just recently discovered Ryan's Blog, a blog that's been around since 2005 and even profiled in Premier Guitar.
Anyway, Ryan Rhea is all about gettin' guitars and fixin' them up. That's putting it in a nutshell. A browse of the blog tours you through all sorts of upgrade projects done on guitars brought to Ryan by his pals, and acquired here and there. Ryan documents his projects really well, step by step, and provides a nice balance of photos to show what he's describing.
If you're a DIY guitar project person, Ryan is someone to trade notes with. Otherwise, he provides good info. and tips you can follow for handling a project of your own i.e. pickup swaps, bridge upgrades, neck stuff, etc.
Between Ryan's blog and Billy Penn's stuff at 300Guitars.com, there's a wealth of good free online tips and resources on how to fix your guitar or even hot rod it! Go check 'em out!!!
Here's a whacky shout out I got from Billy Penn "The Pennalizer" at 300Guitars.com during one of his very rare breaks while in Anaheim. Billy was all over the place doing video interviews and demoing great gear-- much of which he's still currently posting nearly one week later! So be sure to get over there for his hi-lites! Check out the polo shirt with his web address-- Billy's out of control!!!
Other Bloggers who made the trek, and are still summarizing include:
i heart guitar - Peter Hodgson, great guitar writer all the way from Australia. Lots of good coverage! DO NOT miss his Suhr booth post!!!
The Guitar Channel - Rich Murray focuses on NAMM's artist performances, and provides excellent reviews on hot players who attended. As an MI/GIT alum, Rich goes to sniff out the serious chopsmeisters for us.
And don't forget kids to keep checking Barry Wood's NAMM Oddities for his always interesting and bizarre observations. The 2010 stuff isn't posted yet, but will be available soon, so keep checking!!!
Yeah, as Eric Johnson continues to dabble about; puttering and tweaking tracks in his secret laboratory, Jeff Beck's Emotion & Commotion is named, tracked, graphic'd and scheduled for April 13, 2010 release.
El Becko fans should be droolin' and chompin' on the bit for this one! Vinnie C. & Miss Tal are also on board, not to mention some Joss Stone vocal work as well as a couple other ladies! But ain't JB workin' with the ladies though!
Some full symphony orchestra too!
The eagle lands or should we say takes off on April 13. I know I'm stoked!!!
I can smell this guitar. It smells like Chesterfield Kings and real old money-- lots of it too!
This is a seriously and very severely original '59 Hardtail with an asking BIN of $28.9K. Most of the screws are original, the pickguard is hangin' together by hope and there's some crazy fret wear on what could even be the original frets. I'm surprised there isn't some guitar swami out there who reads fret wear and tells fortunes. The two owners of this guitar would have interesting readings!
The listing has tons of photos, including dissection pics for authentication purposes. It weighs in at under 7# and you can see the ash grain thru the finish in a couple pics.
God, I can smell it! Cough!
Seller:oliviasvintage 100% Top Rated eBay Seller. 4700+ positive feedbacks!!! Check out the rest of their listings!
Darren let me know about this week's MusicRadar feature on Eric Johnson's upcoming, upcoming, upcoming release. I'm just sayin' don't hold your breath kids, cause there's not even a firm title name yet. EJ's thinkin' about calling it "UP CLOSE" as in up close to maybe being complete?
Then we get the teaser that EJ has a stockpile of over 100 songs... Thanks a lot.
Just PR. Actually, for all my sarcasm here, I'm all about EJ takin' his sweet time and releasing new stuff when it's right.
The album is reported to include guest spots by Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan and Jonny Lang, and will include some sort of Stevie Wonder tribute.
Sounds cool to me! Everyone keep your eyes and ears peeled for more developments.
Just ran into a listing for a Voodoo pickguard; with the reverse slant bridge pup cutout. I've been looking for these, but have only found the loaded ones "Gypsy" configs from Metal Shop Music. Unfortunately, this unloaded one is an only one, since it's from a parting out of a Hendrix Voodoo Strat. Why someone would do that is beyond me...
At any rate, if you've been looking for one of these but didn't want pay for a loaded one, here ya go! Hurry though!
stocks Abalone pickguards for those of us not ready to spring for the Abalone Strat featured previously. They have tons of pickguards for many different make and model guitars.
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